candorwitch

[candorwitch]

btw the gods love you. It's okay to feel loved by the gods.

[candorwitch]

Confidence Incantation

At moments when you feel especially beautiful, intelligent or otherwise wonderful, say six times:

NOTAHP JAINEHPEM

Doing so captures your confidence and saves it for a rainy day.

The next time you feel insufficient in beauty, lacking in skill or otherwise unworthy, say it seven times in reverse:

MEPHENAIJ PHATON

Doing so releases the confidence you saved, so you no longer feel inadequate.

These words are attributed to magical text written by Moses and encrypted into the Old Testament. Other sources further state that the first man spoke these words when he first visited the Underworld, allowing him to leave it unscathed. Anyone who utters them is supposed to be unconquerable for the next few days.

[candorwitch]

Traditional Spell to Keep a Loved One Safe

If your loved one is in serious danger at a specific point in time, perform this simple spell. But if the harm that surrounds them is more subtle than obvious, and you are somewhere far away, this is how you can keep that darkness at bay.

Buy a flowering plant. The kind that represents your loved one. Daisies if Daisy is her name. Lilies if the person’s skin is fair. Roses if they too are a great beauty.

After acquiring the plant, place it in its new home. Your garden, your balcony, your window sill.

In your native language, say, “I am (your name), and you are now my link to (your loved one’s name)”.

Then while touching it gently, whisper to it thrice: “Reterrem, Salibat, Crateres, Hisater”. These powerful words restore health, refill strength, and grant wellness when fully meant.

Proceed to water the plant just the right amount every day. Make sure it gets sunlight and fresh air. Speak to it when you can. It is now your conduit to your loved one. A healthy plant means they are well. So keep it safe and give it care.

[candorwitch]

Simple but Potent Traditional Banishing Spell

It is the holiday season and a time of parties. If you have had a visitor whose energy was toxic, this is how you can cleanse your house of their footprint and make sure they never come back.

With a handful of sea salt in your dominant hand, open your front door with your other hand.

Then speak the person's full name with contempt, as you throw the salt outside the door as if it's the ashes of someone you despise.

Close the door and lock it, chanting once, "Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas".

Do not sweep away the salt. Let the wind, rain or snow take care of it. Wait until most of it is gone before cleaning your porch.

The spell is done and so is that little bitch. 

[candorwitch]

Walking with the Fetch: A Personal Note on the Witch’s Double

Something changed in me last autumn. Just as the land turned toward rot and windfall, the fetch (the spirit-double) stepped forward. Not just in dream or flight, where I’ve known it before, but into my waking life. It came with accusations, with hunger. It told me I let it wither, and I did. Caged up like a dog I had refused to train and felt shame towards.

The fetch isn’t a familiar spirit, it’s not some external guide or pact-bound ally. It’s the witch’s other self. The part that flies out under the cover of night, but also the part that whispers to you when you speak lies, urges your hand when it wavers, and howls when you ignore the wildness in you too long. Folklore tells of it, though it’s often unnamed, the double that slips out at night, the shadow-self met in trance, the second shape that leaves the body behind. It can walk beside you or take the lead, and when it’s strong, it tests you.

Since its return, mine has done exactly that.

The fetch doesn’t just appear for show, it demands expression. It wants the part of you that howls and schemes and hungers to live a little louder. It pulls you toward greatness, yes, but sometimes at the cost of your security. It whispers choices that are clever, but not kind. It pushes you toward power without asking what it costs.

I’ve found myself questioning decisions lately. Feeling tugged towards bold action, towards sharp words I might once have held back. The fetch is not evil it is the unsettling truth. It knows what I could be, if I shed certain skins, and it isn’t always interested in what’s “right.” It’s interested in what’s necessary.

So I made terms with it. Not to silence it, but to shape the bond. I gave it an offering and asked for its loyalty, telling it what I would allow, and what I would not. I felt it accept but not submissively, with understanding and respect.

And now? I feel it near more often. Animals look twice and the wind feels different when I walk alone. The choices I make taste a little more coppery at the back of my throat.

This isn’t something many witches talk about, when the fetch becomes an influence, not just a vehicle. When it begins shaping your instincts, your hungers, your boldness. In older texts (especially among cunning folk and those accused of flight) you’ll find echoes of it, witches who gained cunning through their double, but who also grew strange in their dealings, changing in subtle but profound ways. (You can find more about this in Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits by Emma Wilby, and Henderson & Cowan’s Scottish Fairy Belief.)

The fetch is a part of you, but not the part that wants peace. It’s the part that wants power with teeth grinding and claws scratching at the inside of your wrist. And if you don’t meet it half way, it might act without you.

So meet it. Make terms, offer something real. Follow the path it carves for you with discernment. Give it blood under a tree, breath over still water, a name whispered backwards at the edge of sleep.

Mine walks with me now. And though it doesn’t speak as often, I feel its influence curling around my choices and desires.

And I am learning not to flinch.

[candorwitch]

Hellebore, a King of Poison Plants.

Hellebore and all its varieties are members of the Ranunculaceae family, making them related to Buttercups. All family members are poisonous to one degree or another, and poisoning by Hellebore is quite atrocious. Such poisoning can cause tinnitus, vertigo, stupor, as well as a feeling of suffocation, swelling of the tongue and throat, violent vomiting and a slowing of the heart rate until death by cardiac arrest. Touching just the juices of this plant cause irritation of the eyes and skin.

Hellebore has a rich folkloric, magickal, and medical history. This spellbinding flower is associated with the underworld, aiding in banishment and protection, and for many centuries serviced as a cure for madness and demonic possession. Ruled by both Saturn and Mars, Hellebore can have a very masculine energy. It is also associated with the element of water, which gives the plant very feminine qualities, acting as a portal to the underworld, the subconscious, and the lower realms. Hellebore is also thought to have been an ingredient in witches’ flying ointment.

((Fun Fact: These underworldly qualities are one of the reasons why my favorite zine, Hellebore Zine, is named after this transformative flower. If you’re interested in the occult and folk horror, you should check them out.))

In Christian folklore, Hellebore sprung up out of the snow from the tears of a young girl who could not bring a gift to the newly born Christ Child. Hellebore’s blooming time occurs between mid December to very early spring, popping up resiliently out of the frigid snow. For this reason Hellebore also represents transformation and resilience.

Of course, as always, please do not handle poisonous plants unless you are educated enough to do so. I always suggest meditating with the spirit of the plant and gain its benefits that way.

[candorwitch]

disabled worship is beautiful worship!

neurodivergent worship is beautiful worship!

mentally ill worship is beautiful worship!

[candorwitch]

Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra originally published 1873

[candorwitch]

Since we’re on the subject of trancework and astral travel; do you have any tips for someone who sorely wants to, but can’t seem to? Thank you so much in advance!

13 Brooms at Midnight by Roger J Horne.

[candorwitch]

How to Avenge Yourself with Tarot

Never hurting the undeserving proves your kind heart. But not letting people get away with hurting you proves your self-love.

Step 1: State your case.

In a dim, quiet, private place… shuffle your cards, as you recount to them every detail of how you were cruelly injured. As if writing in a diary, divulge aloud your agony. Let your heart fill with ache. Let your body swell with rage.

Step 2: Choose the punishment.

When your pain and fury are at their peak… find the card in the deck that in your soul you believe to fit the misdeed.

Death: Serious illness

The Devil: Emotional abuse

The Tower: Sweeping chaos

The Moon: Damaging secrets revealed

Five of Wands: Friends turning foes

Seven of Wands: Crippling stress

Nine of Wands: Paranoia

Ten of Wands: Bone fractures

Five of Cups: Bouts of depression

Two of Swords: Significant errors in judgement

Three of Swords: Sudden loss of love

Five of Swords: Defeat in competitions

Eight of Swords: Mental or physical imprisonment

Nine of Swords: Insomnia and anxiety

Ten of Swords: Festering cuts and bruises

Knight of Swords: Physical and verbal abuse

Five of Pentacles: Financial ruin

Step 3: Decide the duration.

Find a second card in your deck. Remember that even the smallest cut left unchecked can lead to death. So unless it is warranted… be fair and be prudent.

Ace of Wands: A few days

Ace of Swords: A week

Ace of Cups: A month

Ace of Pentacles: A year

Step 4: Carry out the sentence.

Hold both cards in your hands, with the punishment on top, and the duration behind it, hidden in the back.

Gaze at the card… and with every fiber of your being, imagine it moving.

If it is the Knight of Swords, watch him gallop on his way to cut your oppressor in half. If it is Death, see your oppressor lying lifeless by the Reaper’s horse. If it is the Ten of Swords, let your oppressor take the place of the corpse in the card. Watch their back ooze with blood from every wound, gash and slash.

Step 5: Let it go.

Your raw vulnerability in admitting your injury has connected you to the higher power you have faith in, be that the Universe or a deity.

They have heard your appeal, which will soon be fulfilled. Offer them your gratitude in advance. Your wounds are now in good hands.

It could take days… weeks… even longer. It will happen once your oppressor believes they have gotten away with bruising you. At that moment, a colossal flame will engulf their contentment. And you will know in your heart that the debt has been collected.

[candorwitch]

Hi there! I noticed you post about planetary magic pretty frequently, and I was wondering if you might be able to share some resources or books you used to learn more about it? I'm incredibly interested but I am unsure where to get more information, or reliable information. I hope you're doing well and thank you for your time! :)

Hi! I’d recommend these:

Seven Spheres by Rufus Opus -> it looks at planetary magic through a Hermetic perspective and I believe it gives a really good explanation for the nature of each planet and how they interract with us

Secrets of Planetary Magic by Christopher Warnock -> gives straight to the point methods of making planetary talismans. The planetary talisman from that book is the first one I ever did and I have to say, it worked amazingly.

Fixed Star, Sign and Constellation Magic by Christopher Warnock -> like the title says, it explains how the fixed stars etc may be called upon. It’s quite neat.

The Illustrated Picatrix by Christopher Warnock and John Michael Greer -> I love the planetary invocations written in the Picatrix and I like this translation by Chris Warnock a lot. There’s more to the book than this though. It’s a must read.

Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa -> idk what to say except everyone should read Agrippa at least once.

Financial Sorcery by Jason Miller -> the book isn’t about planetary magic but it does have a few pages on how to make a Jupiter box to attract wealth and prosperity

Sphere and Sundry -> they sell amazing planetary oils, waters, talismans etc. They also make some blog posts occasionally. I have followed their instructions on planetary remediation in the past and found excellent results.

https://www.renaissanceastrology.com -> check it out haha.

[candorwitch]

Spiritual Satanist Prayer Book: Infernal Reflections by Venus Satanas

[candorwitch]

A public thank you to President Buer, who has been helping me with some health things :) I made what I hope is a breakthrough recently due to his assistance!

Divider credit

Illustration from Dictionnaire Infernal, illustrated by Louis Breton and sourced from this wikipedia page

[candorwitch]

𝔄𝔯𝔰 𝔊𝔬𝔢𝔱𝔦𝔞

[candorwitch]

Buer is the 10th spirit of the Ars Goetia. He is ranked as a president who commands fifty legions of demons. Buer not only teaches philosophy and logic but the virtues of herbs and plants as well. Starting an Ars Goetia series in no particular order!

[candorwitch]

Hey (Chicken? Is that how we’re addressing you on here, love that), had a spellcraft related question that I don’t believe has been touched on in your 101 posts.

Do you have any tips or advice when you’re really in need of some magical aid or intervention (immediately), but haven’t yet taken the time/started down building relationships with spiritual allies? Anything the practitioner can do to add some oomph to a working and maybe speed things along?

Lovely question, absolutely banger, and yes, Chicken will do :D

Let's get to it, in no particular order:

1. You do not need outright spiritual allies in order to effectively work triage/immediate intervention magic (consider non-spirit working craft, for example!)

2. Petition those beings which are often (or always) known to help anyone who asks. I'm not up to snuff on paganism so I can't help you with a list of gods. However, your ancestors are just about always a safe bet (you do not need to know their names; call on them as a group, reaching back tens of thousands of years).

3. I find planetary magic to be extremely powerful and effective, especially if a person has the luxury of waiting for a certain hour & day of the week. In a certain sense, the planets may be considered governors of reality, and as they are elected officials we merely need to petition them in order to receive aid from city counsel.

Try one of Agrippa's planetary seals drawn on a piece of paper, surround it with symbols of what you are in immediate need of, and write down your petition in words (if possible).

Light a candle and incense if possible, and/or knock on the paper as if you are knocking on a door, and/or perform any other action which indicates Something Is Going Down and The Planetary Spirit Is Invited. Reciting the Orphic Hymn that corresponds to the planet is an effective technique to gather their attention, though of course at that point we're cross-pollinating with Hellenism.

Recite your petition (thought, spoken, signed, read over multiple times, etc., whatever you like). Request immediate aide. Request that spirits be assigned to your cause to do specific things that you need. Advise that you will feed and care for the spirits while they are assigned to you, up to a certain duration (natural times can be easier to manage than calendar times; "until the next full moon" can be easier to translate into spirit-language than "until April 12th.").

Ideally, start today at the soonest Lunar hour (today being Monday) and repeat the ritual once a day for seven days. Each day, examine planetary correspondences and request their aid in the domain of their specialty. For example, suppose an abuser is coming back into town: Monday I may request lifting of illusions so everyone can see the abuser's true nature, Tuesday I request warriors to be placed around me to defend me from all attacks, Wednesday I request all communication to be closed so it is impossible for them to contact me, Thursday I request victory and triumph over the situation, etc etc.

A simple offering of fresh water daily, combined with anything else you are able to offer, will suffice in paying most spirits: I often try to include a grand offering when the contract is complete.

4. Plants, stones, and elements are spiritual allies; fortuitously for us, they tend to agree to work with most anyone who asks. Including nature spirits in any of your workings is inclusion of spiritual allies. Treating them as such, in my experience, very much furthers the effectiveness of magic.

5. The element of fire adds speed to any operation. In California, we are very aware a tiny spark may induce a raging wildfire - in the absence of water, and in the presence of driving winds. The presence of a single candle in a ritual space may suffice to provide all the fire that is needed. Only ensure the land is dry and the winds are on their way, and your operation will soon consume the countryside.

6. The best thing to do when in need of magic is to cast magic now. No anxiety, no rushing. Sit down. What do you know? What do you have on hand? What can you do now, in the next 60 minutes? You are a monarch enthroned in your castle. Survey your resources, survey your agents. So you have concluded you are short on allies: this time, you may need to do the work yourself. Note what you are in need of as you carry out this operation (or series of operations). Note what you have on hand that goes unused. If you are open to suggestions, avoid over-exerting yourself on magical operations. Now is not the time to drain yourself. Now, more than ever, is the time to conserve.

7. The practice of determining a magical course of action through divination can take some time to develop. If you are adept at any system of divination, see if it is able to act as a counselor in your throne room - and see if you are fluent enough in its language that it helps the situation, instead of confusing it.

8. General offerings, given to all spirits nearby, including those who may have something against you or whom you may have offended, will ease the passage of all magic and aid in manifestation. It bodes well for any practitioner to be able to maintain a schedule of general offerings - once monthly will often suffice.

9. Providing offerings after/during every spell, to repay any spirit who is benevolent and wishes to help, and to any spirit who will help if paid, and to any spirit who will decline to hinder your operation if paid, will improve manifestation in all circumstances. Even if you did not call on any spirits during the working of magic.

[candorwitch]

I like the approach I've been taking to spellwork recently. Since my "magical batteries" are limited currently, I usually invoke the properties of ingredients I use (ex "I call forth confidence and strength by the virtues of carnelian and the planet Mars"). It's kinda like not being able to lift a car by yourself, but being able to call a guy who can